API
The surfaces
The gateway at api.conifer.build is the product. The other three surfaces are ways to reach it.
| Surface | Where it answers | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| The gateway | https://api.conifer.build | Every model in the catalog behind one key and one endpoint, with routing, failover and a cost receipt on every response. |
conifer serve | 127.0.0.1:8080 | A local endpoint in front of the gateway, for tools that want one port. On macOS and Windows it can also serve open models running on the machine. |
| The desktop app | the same local endpoint | A window over the gateway and your account. It bundles the CLI. |
| Palm (beta) | 127.0.0.1:8791 | An overlay for Claude Code, Codex and pi. Pause, resume and switch models mid-session without a restart. |
The same request works against any of them. The wire is defined in the API reference, and the contract is the promise that it only grows.
The desktop app
The app is a client of the same gateway and the same account. It ships with the CLI inside it and shares its sign-in, so there is nothing to set up twice. Details are on Desktop app.
Palm
A running claude pins its base URL at startup and cannot be re-pointed. Palm fixes that. The agent talks to Palm on 127.0.0.1:8791 for the whole session, and the switch happens there. Pause, and requests go straight to the provider on your own credentials. Resume, and they go through Conifer on any model you pick, with no restart. Palm signs in with the CLI, so it needs no key of its own. It is in beta and ships with the CLI on macOS and Windows.
Claude Desktop and the Codex desktop app do not expose an endpoint override. The terminal agents under Palm are the desktop-grade path.
Get Palm
Run conifer setup. It installs Palm, starts it, and asks which agents you use. CONIFER_SETUP_NO_PALM skips the Palm step.
Auto-start
If you picked Claude Code, the plain claude command in every terminal opens behind Palm. If you picked Codex, the plain codex command does the same on macOS. On Windows this covers claude only. Both fail open: if Palm is not running you get the original binary, untouched. When setup finishes with Claude Code among your picks it opens claude straight away, and CONIFER_SETUP_NO_LAUNCH skips just that step.
Commands and keys
| Command | What happens |
|---|---|
palm | Opens claude under the overlay. |
palm codex | Opens Codex under the overlay. Your own ~/.codex is left untouched. |
palm pi | Opens pi under the overlay. |
palm toggle | Pauses or resumes Conifer routing from any shell. |
palm up / stop | Starts Palm without opening an agent, or stops it. |
palm uninstall --yes | Removes Palm. conifer uninstall runs this first. |
| fn+^ or opt+cmd+Space | Pauses or resumes from the keyboard on macOS. On Windows, ctrl+alt+P. |